At least eleven people died and ten more are trapped after an explosion inside a coal mine tunnel in central Colombia, the governor of the department of Cundinamarca reported Wednesday.
The incident in the municipality of Sutatausa was due to the “accumulation” of gases” that exploded by “a spark generated by a pike” from a worker, Governor Nicolás García told Blu Radio.
“There are 11 people found dead and we are still in the search and rescue of the ten that remain,” he added.
The explosion occurred Tuesday night at six legal mines “that communicate with each other.”
The trapped miners are 900 meters deep, making it difficult for the more than 100 rescuers who are working with picks to search, according to García.
“Every minute that passes is less time for oxygen” and it is “quite difficult” to find them alive, lamented the governor.
Images shared in local media show firefighters and workers from the disaster care authority operating at the entrances to the mines. Around, a handful of people await information about their relatives since dawn.
Mining tragedies are frequent in Colombia, especially in illegal tunnels in Cundinamarca and other departments in the center of the country. The accumulation of gases is the most common reason for accidents.
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